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"If it's my fate to die by an assassin's bullet, so be it. But I cannot be petrified by inaction, or fear of assassination, and therefore stay in the side..."
Benigno Simeon "Ninoy" Aquino Jr. (November 27, 1932 – August 21, 1983) was a Filipino politician who served as a Senator of the Philippines (1967–1972) and governor of the province of Tarlac. He was the husband of former Philippine President Corazon Aquino and father of former Philippine President Benigno Aquino III. Aquino, together with Gerardo Roxas and Jovito Salonga, formed the leadership of the opposition towards then President Ferdinand Marcos. Shortly after the imposition of martial law, he was arrested in 1972 along with others associated with the Communists' armed insurgency and incarcerated for seven years.
History[]
Born as Benigno Simeon Aquino Jr. on November 27, 1932 to Benigno Aquino Sr. and Aurora Aquino, who are renown for being the original owners of Hacienda Luisita. At age 23, Benigno Aquino Jr. became the mayor of Concepcion in 1955.
He founded his own party, Lakas ng Bayan, and ran in the 1978 Philippine parliamentary election, but all of the party's candidates, including Aquino, lost in the election. In 1980, Aquino was permitted by Marcos to travel to the United States for medical treatment following a heart attack. During the early 80s he became one of the most notable critics of the Marcos regime and enjoyed popularity across the US due to the numerous rallies he attended at the time. As the situation in the Philippines worsened, Aquino decided to return to face Marcos and restore democracy in the country, despite numerous threats against it.
He was assassinated at the Manila International Airport on August 21st, 1983 upon returning from his self-imposed exile. His death revitalized opposition against Marcos, catapulted his widow, Corazon, into the political limelight, and prompted her to successfully run for a six-year term as President as a member of the UNIDO party in the 1986 snap election.
Among other public structures, Manila International Airport has since been renamed Ninoy Aquino International Airport in his honor, and the anniversary of his death is a national holiday.